


three-hundred fifty three days

by stillusesapencil



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Depression, Dungeons & Dragons, Emo!Mike, F/M, Siblings, mike your bisexuality is showing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-30 00:33:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12642480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillusesapencil/pseuds/stillusesapencil
Summary: He calls her. Every night for three-hundred fifty three days.





	three-hundred fifty three days

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, I tried, I really did, but I think I messed up my timeline somewhere. Please forgive me.

**Day 1**

After the “bad men” finish questioning him, and his confused parents, and Nancy, Mike finds himself in his basement, staring at El’s bed. He just stands there for a long time, staring, trying not to cry. 

And then he gives up, and lets the tears flow. 

He sinks to his knees by the bed, sniffling. “El,” he whispers. She’s gone. He knows it, he saw her disappear, nothing but flakes floating through the air. She’s gone. But she’s not dead. He refuses to believe it. 

Slowly, he reaches for his walkie-talkie. “El,” he whispers. “El?” It’s dumb. It’s so dumb. But he knows, he _knows_ that she’s not dead. And if she’s not dead, then she could hear him. Somehow, she’ll hear him. 

“El? Do you copy? I mean…copy is like can you hear me, I guess. I’m okay. I just wanted to let you know.” He pauses, licks his lips. “Are you okay? I thought I saw you in my window, tonight, when the bad men were here.” He pauses again. What can he say? “If you can come back, I’m here for you. You can stay in my basement. If you want. I guess…I guess I’ll go now. I’ll call again tomorrow.”

He sets down the walkie-talkie. He’ll call again tomorrow. And maybe she’ll hear him.

**Day 43**

Dustin, Lucas, and Will are gone. It had been an all-day game, finishing the campaign they’d been working on all month. Mike is proud. 

They leave him alone in his basement, alone will El’s bed still under his table. The first time they’d come over, Lucas had started to ask why it was still there, and Will had stopped him. Will had never met El, but Will understood. Will had always understood. Will had been the first to their party—maybe that was why.

Upstairs, Nancy and Steve are cuddling on the couch. Mike doesn’t really like Steve. But Nancy seems to, but for what he’s not sure. Sisters are weird. He doesn’t want to go upstairs. 

He looks over at El’s (still empty) bed.

Mike picks up the walkie-talkie. “El, it’s day forty-three. Just played dungeons and dragons with Dustin and Lucas and Will. Wish you could have been here.” He taps his thumb on the walkie talkie. “It’s Christmas Eve. Do you know about Christmas? It’s like…a big holiday and we eat a lot and give gifts—like toys and stuff like that.” Does she know about gifts? Has she ever had a gift? “Merry Christmas, El. I’ll call again tomorrow.” He sighs and sets the walkie talkie down. 

It’s Christmas Eve. She should be here, seeing Christmas lights and trees and snow and gifts. She should be here. 

It’s Christmas Eve. He shouldn’t be sad. After all, tomorrow is supposedly one of the best days of the year! But El won’t be there. It doesn’t really matter. 

**Day 63**

“El, it’s day sixty-three, roughly 9:02pm. Lucas and Dustin asked Mr. Clark about portals to alternate dimensions and ways to get back, and he said that sometimes portals only go one way form one spot. Maybe go looking for a portal back in another spot? If you’re in the upside down, that is. Don’t get eaten by a demigorgon, okay?” 

Mike stops. El wouldn’t let herself get eaten, would she?

**Day 97**

Mike takes his candy to the basement. It’s the usual stuff—hard candy hearts, Hershey’s kisses and the like. He eats a kiss. His mom would probably be disappointed in him, eating so much candy, but she won’t find out. 

He sits on El’s bed. “El? Today is Valentines’ day. Do you know about Valentine’s day? It’s a holiday for—for people you like. You spend it with them. Nancy’s on a date with Steve right now. If you were here, I’d—I’d be with you. I’d give you flowers and chocolates and—well, anyway. I hope you are safe.” He waits for the usual static on the line. “Goodnight, El.” 

He lays back on the bed and eats another chocolate kiss.

**Day 163**

He’s in the middle of the call when Nancy peers into the basement. He throws down the walkie talkie, frantically trying to act normal.

“What are you doing?” she asks, clearly confused and slightly annoyed.

“Nothing!”

She flicks her eyes to the side and back. “Clearly you’re up to something. What are you doing?” She takes two more steps into the basement.

“Nancy! This is my spot! Go away!”

“Well, it’s not like I want to be in your gross little hideaway! But you’re acting really guilty right now.”

“Nancy! Can you just stop?”

Nancy stops in the middle of the room. “What are you sitting on? Did you build a fort?”

Mike nods. “Y-yeah. A fort.”

“That’s such a kid thing.” She rolls her eyes.

Mike sighs.

She takes a closer look around the room. “Mike?”

“What.”

“Are you okay?”

Mike stares at her. Of all the things he expected, this was not it.

“It’s just…you’ve been acting really weird since…since everything last year.”

He feels his shoulders tense, but cannot think of anything to say.

“You may be annoying, but I’m worried about you.”

Mike shrugs.

“Hey.” She crosses to him, sits down in front of him. “No more secrets, remember?”

He refuses to look at her. “I’m fine.” 

Nancy sighs, in the way that only older siblings can. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He does his best to look convincingly fine.

“I don’t believe you.” She stands. As she reaches the stairs, she says, “I miss her too, Mike.”

She looks back at him, as if this revelation will help him in any way, but all he feels is anger. How dare she say she misses her too? Eleven was not hers, not hers. She has no right to say that. 

“Get out,” he says softly.

Suddenly Nancy looks hurt, but she leaves without another word.

**Day 222**

It is summer, and Mike should be happy, but he isn’t. It’s not that he’s _sad_ really, just _not happy_. Dustin and Lucas and Will seem ok. Well, mostly ok. Will still has episodes and moments where he’s back in the Upside Down. Will understands that’s Mike’s not happy. He does. And Mike is glad. 

There’s a new arcade in town, and they spend most of their time there, that summer. Dustin and Lucas both think they’re the best. Dustin is the best. Mike knows he’s not the best. He misses playing Dungeons and Dragons. He misses El.

He sits on El’s bed, noting that his hair is brushing the bottom of the table. He’s grown. 

“El? It’s day two-hundred twenty two. I miss you. I had eggos this morning. I hope that, wherever you are, you have eggos. When you get back, we’ll have some, okay? Lots of ‘em. A whole eggo party. Can you come back, just for the eggos?” 

He listens to the static. One day, she’ll reply.

**Day 288**

Mike crawls into the bed. He is very sad today, and he’s not really sure why. He just wants to sleep for thousands of years. 

“El? Are you there? Are you listening?” He taps his thumb on the walkie talkie. “Please be listening. Can you hear me?” He feels tears forming in his eyes. He misses her, he misses her, he misses her. “El, please, if you’re there, can you say something? Please?” Letting out a small sob, he issues his final plea. “If you’re listening, if you can hear me, please reply…”

There is nothing but static on the other end. 

**Day 300**

“El? I’m almost ready to give up. But I won’t. Never. Not on you. Not ever.”

**Day 317**

Will spends the night. It’s the first time since…everything…that his mom’s let him out of her sight for longer than a few hours. They watch movies and eat lots of snacks, and it’s almost midnight before Mike realizes he hasn’t called El.

He scrambles off of the blanket nest he and Will created in Mike’s floor. 

“Mike?” Will asks, following him. 

Mike pounds down the stairs, diving for the walkie talkie.

“El! El, I’m sorry, Will’s over and I almost forgot,” his words spill over each other. He takes a breath and slows. “I’m sorry, I didn’t forget you I promise. It’s day 317, I wouldn’t forget. I promise. And friends don’t break promises.” 

Will is staring at him from across the room.

He meets Will’s gaze. “That’s all, El. Talk to you tomorrow.” 

He waits for a few seconds, long enough to know she’s not answering. Then he gets up and crosses back to Will, who says nothing. They go back upstairs together and say nothing about it.

Will understands. He always does.

**Day 353**

She is standing in the doorway right in front of him. She is here, she is here, she is here, and Mike can hardly believe it.

He feels himself tear up, and she’s there, and she’s hugging him, whispering his name.

_“Mike?”_

He hugs her tighter, and then she steps back. “I never gave up on you. I called you every night for—”

“Three-hundred fifty three days, I know. I heard.”

Time stands still. He has questions-- _why didn’t you tell me?_ \--but she’s here. She’s here. She heard. 

Every night for three hundred fifty three days.

**Author's Note:**

> This fandom is eating me alive. Send help.
> 
> [tumblr](http://www.stillusesapencil.tumblr.com)


End file.
